Sun Dried Tomatoes and Mushrooms in White Wine Sauce

Thanks to my cousin Dave and his family who are traveling and this week are spending some time on the French Island of St Pierre, Martinique, I was inspired by his dinner post of pasta and veggies with Salami for dinner.  I opened the fridge and attempted to create something similar and fresh and exciting.  Mine was vegetarian (no salami) but still so great!  Not  something I would normally make but I enjoyed it so much I am adding it to my regular schedule of meals! 

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 stick of butter (or butter substitute)
1/2 cup roasted red peppers, diced
10 -12 baby bella mushrooms, sliced
8 sun dried tomatoes in oil, sliced
1 tbsp capers
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 cup white wine
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
pinch of salt

Prehead a cast iron skillet to medium.  Add olive oil and butter.  Then add roasted red peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, capers, garlic and crushed red pepper.  Saute'  until for about 5-8 minutes stirring every couple minutes.  Add salt and wine.  Stir as reduces about 2-3 minutes.  Serve over pasta. 

** This is not a super saucy dish.  If you like more sauce double the olive oil, butter and wine. **

Husband Catchin' Biscuits

For as many years as I can remember my mom has been making these biscuits that she or someone dubbed "Husband Catchin' Biscuits."  I have no idea where the name actually came from, but growing up in SE Texas, I can only imagine.  When it came to Christmas Eve Dinner, and I had no idea what to make, I saw a biscuit recipe online and it reminded me of this one.  The actual recipe is NOT gluten free so I made the first attempt at making them GF!  I was so excited that they turned out well and actually tasted good too!!  Score one for me :)   Hope you enjoy & share!! 

3 cups GF Bisquick Mix (1 box)
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cup club soda
butter

Mix the bisquick, sour cream and club soda together.  The mix will be a bit sticky.  If it isn't wet enough add a bit more club soda.  I started with 1 cup and added to 1 1/2 at the end.  Use a spoon and drop the biscuit mix onto a baking stone and add a pat of butter to the top.  Bake for 25-30 minutes at 400 until browned.  This makes 18-24 biscuits depending on the size that you drop them. 

Gluten Free is not a FAD for ME!!

It is not often that I use this as a soap box or a place to rant.  I use this as a place to educate and share recipes.  I love to cook and create and thru the process of learning that I CANNOT eat gluten, I have come to learn that so many out there do not know much about gluten or what it means when someone says "Do you have a Gluten Free Menu?" 

I read labels... All labels, from food, to cleaners to shampoos and soaps.  Anything that has a label that enters my home, is GF!  This is not because I have "jumped on the GF band wagon to lose weight" but because thru process of elimination and after many years of being sick, we have figured out that the culprit is GLUTEN!  There is no magic pill but it is fairly simple... don't eat it or ingest it, don't put it on your skin if it irritates it!  So that is what I have done.  And I feel FABULOUS! 

So, I was very surprised when I opened my "People Magazine" Best and Worst of 2012 today and saw a very small notation about "Gluten Free" in it! Trends of the Year (page 22) under  5 Tastes of the Town  - #5 was GF - Miley Cyrus and Elisabeth Hasselbeck followed the food fad. 

Now, I will say I have not read Elisabeth Hasselbeck's book... I have heard of people who read it and those people have had mixed opinions.  I will not give one because I did not read it.  I do not support individuals who chose the GF diet simply to lose weight. 

Those of us, who with or without an "actual diagnosis of Celiac Disease" but are still Gluten Intolerant and cannot handle Gluten in their diet know the affects of the Gluten on their bodies.  This is very upsetting to me.  When a celebrity uses the GF diet as a way to lose weight and puts it out for the world to see, the rest of us who are GF for an actual health reason lose credence.  The restaurant staff wonders if we are just on a "diet"?  This is a serious health concern for many of us... This is not for weight loss, though it may help, it is for our life! 

Please remember when someone asks you if there is a GF option available that they probably are not on a diet but have an actual health concern! 

Chicken Masala

Adapted from www.thegraciouspantry.com - Thanks to Tiffany for the idea.  One of the things that I have found lately is that, even though I love to cook, I rarely follow a "recipe" the way that it is written.  This happens for a variety of reasons:  (1)  I have food allergies/issues and have learned to sub ingredients that I can have for those that I cannot; (2) I sometimes run out of ingredients during the process (as in this time) and have to make do; (3) I just think it would be "better" with what I LIKE in it, so it becomes mine!  These are also reasons, that more often than not, I browse the net and recipe books for "ideas" and then browse the pantry and fridge for what I have on hand and out comes an idea!  Usually the ideas are yummy and edible... sometimes they are not!  But here we go with someone very new to my kitchen... a variety of chicken called Chicken Masala...  Please Share & Enjoy!

1 cup unsweetened almond or light coconut milk (I used almond milk)
1 tbsp. cumin
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. curry powder
1 tbsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. onion powder
1 tbsp. garam masala
2 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. coriander
1 tbsp. parsley flakes
1 tbsp. dried cilantro
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt (or more to taste after done cooking)
2 (15 oz.) cans light coconut milk, unsweetened
6-8 large chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes (no sugar added)
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste (no sugar added)
Fresh cilantro for garnish

Directions - 2 Options 

Option 1 – Combine all ingredients (except the cilantro) in a 5 quart crock pot and cook on high for 4-6 hours or until chicken is fully cooked. Stir occasionally during cooking process to be sure the chicken gets submerged in the liquids. NOTE: It will start out looking a bit thick and dry, but the liquids will release into the pot after about an hour or so of cooking. If this does not happen for some reason and you feel it will burn without more liquids, add 1/2 to 1 cup of clean, low-sodium chicken broth. But wait a full hour before doing so.

Option 2:  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Add chicken and all wet ingredients to the bottom of a dutch oven.  Add all the spices to a bowl pour over chicken.  Put the lid on the dutch oven and place in middle rack.  Cook for 2 to 2.5 hours.  Check after 1 hour.  Be mindful that there will be quite a bit of juice and it may slosh as you pull the rack out. 

I chose Option 2 because I did not have the time to cook in the crock pot.  My chicken turned out very well, although it was not as shredded as some might have liked.  This serves 6-8 people. 

Serve over rice, pasta or mashed potatoes.  Whichever your family prefers! 

Pumpkin Turkey Mac

Adapted from www.momadvice.com Creamy Pumpkin Pasta

I found this recipe on Pinterest and thought it looked fabulous!  So as usual, I made it my own :)  Thanks to Amy at MomAdvice for giving me the idea! 


1 tbsp minced garlic or 2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp olive oil
1 pound package of Spicy/Hot Italian Turkey Sausage (removed from its casing)
1 can pumpkin puree (not Pumpkin Pie mix)
1-2 cups chicken or vegetable broth (I used low sodium veggie because it's what I had)
½ cup sour cream
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp sage (I used 2 fresh sage leaves, sliced very thin)
2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
¼ cup Romano Cheese, shredded
1 pound penne or rotini pasta (I used GF elbow pasta)

In a large skillet sauté the garlic in the olive oil on medium heat. Add the turkey sausage and cook until no longer pink, breaking the meat up with your spoon as you cook it. Remove turkey sausage and garlic from the skillet. Pour the chicken broth into the skillet and deglaze the pan using a wire whisk, to bring up all of the flavors stuck to the pan. Whisk in the sour cream, pumpkin, and seasonings. Simmer for ten minutes. Meanwhile, boil the pasta in salted water until al dente, reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water.  Drain pasta and stir into the pumpkin mixture along with the pasta water,  turkey sausage, simmering for another three minutes or until the sauce thickens and hugs the pasta. Stir in parsley and garnish with Romano and more parsley.